Falling Apart Together
by Kawinka
Summary: After Endings, slightly AU, After 3 years of missing Elizabeth 'Z' Deldago comes back as the black ranger to build the last stand against the destruction of Earth. ZxBridge, eventually ZxOC, ZxSky


Disclaimer: Do not own Power Rangers: SPD, Star Wars, Chronics of Riddick. Just playing around for a bittle lit.I own Lorna Ewm, she's not staying around.

Ok. In some fic I saw that the yellow A Squad ranger is called Cliff Chan, however I couldn't find anywhere in the net officially what's his name. So I am naming him myself.

AN. Looking for a beta. If anyone's interested...

_She was missing. Elizabeth 'Z' Deldago was MIA- missing in action for almost 3 years now. But then again here she was, at this very moment, shifting her weight under his steady gaze. What the hell was going on?_

_So well apperantly she wasn't missing or at least she hadn't been missing in a very long time now. In fact somehow she had been able to reach the commant centre from grumm's ship without whatsiever transportation and without sam being there,She had survived physically. But emotionally? She was okay now, 3 years later. Back then, it was hard dealing with betrayel. They had left her on the ship. She wasn't sure if it was intentional, she certanly hoped it wasn't. But hey, they had left her on the ship. And she wasn't a sirian or grumm, but a mere human with soft skin and breakable bones. _

_Kat still remembered the sadness she felt when she heard her teammates arguing via the intercom. They were arguing if she was with them, where she was. They were already in earth's orbit. It was out of the question to go back now. She was gone. During the months of their battle against grumm, they had grown on her as her own children. So you can imagine her happiness to see the battled and bloodied body of Elizabeth 'Z' Deldago apearing in front of her in flash of light. Omega had managed to catch her and carry her in safety in Kat's lab, the whole time trying to calm her down. She had asked him which year is it. Later when he was leaving she had told him 'Don't hate me'. But not in front of the others of course. The fact she was alive had remained secret, known only by Kat, Anubis 'Doggie" Cruger, his life Isinia, Boom and of course Omega._

_They had hoped she would change her desicion. But she was hurt badly emotionally and she did not stayed enough in earth's base to watch her ex teammates move on with their lives. One month after the final judgement she left Earth, on official SPD business. For the next 2 years and half she was traveling the universe, as a spy for SPD and ocasionally using her own stock of convetional cards. These years hardened her character, toned her body, made her...homesick. All her life Z had known foster homes, the streets and finally spd. She loved SPD, the idea and most of the people, but she needed to see the world and hence this long-term mission- travel the universe, get information on the famed criminal riddick, get back home when you have enough, but in one piece mind you. During her mission she had encoured different people- criminals, bounty hunters, scum bags like Piggy, loyal and idealistic cops, __spandes clad rangers. A couple of times she had seen even the supreme commander Birdy. Birdy seemed to take liking in her. He was treating her as a daughter. And because of that she had the proposition to work directly under him as head of the espionage deppartment. But she mssed her family on earth, or at least important part of it like Cruger, Kat, Boom and finally but not less importantly Sam. She knew from Omega that she had been there for him while growing up. And she had already missed 3 years. At least adult Sam knew due to his leaving that she was sorry for leaving._

_Birdy understood her reasons of course. But still going back to earth wasn't simple vacation or a transfer. Riddick was on the move to conquer worlds and spd earth's team of power rangers wasn't exactly in good shape. For the last 3 years there had been a few changes. Kat and the others had tried to keep her informed but after a while they had learned to give her only the information important for the team. And so she knew that the current team was Sky Tate as Red, Bridge Carson as Blue, SOPHIE as Green, Syd as Pink and another cadet by the name of Lorna Ewm was Yellow. It wasn't such a big surprise really,the girl had top records and everything. However the teamwork was a problem. Carson had started dating SOPHIE 2 moths after the final judgement (2 months after her disappearance, started flirting 3 day the missing, she had been green with jealousy). That had angried the squad leader tate as it was against the rules. His reaction had hurt Syd as she liked Sky. On the other side this Lorna Ewm seemed to belong to the Sky Tate fanclub, so Syd and she were constantly bickering. No one knew how but at one point the cat fights in squad B had become something normal. The boys couldn't work together for the sake of their own lives, not to mention of the sake of someone else. C squad obviosly wasn't ready so the last line of defence agains Riddick was a group of hormon ridden teenagers. _

_Z didn't want to be an active ranger again. But she didn't have much choice in the matter, not unlike the first time when she was in the ranger-or-not situation. But certantly she wasn't going to wear yellow again. Her yellow days were long gone. She wasn't the happy person to keep together the falling apart team. Ooh, she was going to keep them together, all right, but certantly not in the Z-way they remembered._

_So here she was, in front of commander Cruger, Kat on her side, Boom running in tears to hug her. Behind she feels B squad's confusion. There's no monster attack and yet here they are, called to watch some stranger being hug by the commander cruger. _

_'Cadets, for the last few years things have been calm, but now a new treat is coming. While you were able to stand your ground you seriously lacked in outstanding performance' by these words they all are talking. It may appear cute, but Z knows it is not good. It doesn't speak well for the team's discipline to interrupted the cammander. She knows that her time had come._

_'SILENCE!' her outburst works in 2 directions- a, they shut up, b, they finally realize __who's standing in front of them. After a minute of silence they finally overcome their shock and once again regardless of rules, start talking._

_'I SAID SILENCE! Some of you know me, for the rest of you I am leitenant Elizabeth 'Z' Deldago. I'm here with a special mission on the behalf of supreme commander Birdy to get your team in shape, before the dangerous criminal lord Riddick makes his move. Information on him is send to your personal computers, and I expect you to have read it by tomorrow. Understood?' her voice is harsh and leaves no space for arguments. However the yellow girl decides to act stupid and raises her hand. 'Bad move' and 'Big mistake' are the thoughts that cross Kat and Boom at the same time. Commander Cruger merely watches the interaction. _

_'Yes?' Z asks calm. She knows that she has relieve the girl of her responsibilities of a yellow ranger before the end of the meeting._

_'Um, are we dismissed, bacause i reallyyy have this total hot date and just can't be late' there's a brief pause in which Z watches the reaction of her teammates of the question. While the boys appear uninterested and SOPHIE even a little bit disgusted, Syd is an whole other story. Z is pleased by the blondy's reaction. It means that there's a chance everything to work out smoothly. Syd is not only disgusted but also makes a comment- 'Maybe you still have to try and answer your morpher the next time,,,'._

_Z breaks the silence. 'Actually you're dismissed. You may go to your hot date, but before you go I have to ask you to give me your morpher and to free your room and move to the d squad quarters if you still want to be part of SPD.' She watches the reactions on the girls face- from happiness and smugness to shock and anger. The others are shocked as well._

_'Are you firing me?'_

_'Yes, I believe I am.'_

_After a little speech and some assureness on Z side that she is not taking over the yellow position the girl stalks away. Z turns to the team once again. Bridge and Sky are relieved, SOPHIE is smiling, Syd tries to hug her..In matter of some seconds syd's on the floor, a green light saber dangerously close to her neck. Another one is preventing her teammates of helping her. Z's eyes are closed when she speaks, her voice flat and emotionless:_

_'Now is the time to tell you that I do not like any of you. Whatever feeling you harbour for your lost teammate I don't care. And don't you start the friendship crap on me, 'cause I remember how you left on that ship and a couple of days later you had moved on.'_

_'But..' they try but she would not let them. They broke her and after a lot of __mending, she will not let them do it again. _

_'Here are the changes. Red, Tate is still your leader on missions, I will not interfere with his desicions, still I have the right to do so, and should the need arise I will not hesitate. I will not be yellow, in fact my morpher is SPD Renegade Black. In some of the trainings you will see it. Tate as I already said remains as red, Carson remains as Blue, Drew is promoted to yellow, Sophie becomes pink, Green is ..., former A squad yellow, he'll be here tomorrow morning.'_

_This statement wakes a storm of objections. While Syd and Tate are happy with their situation they aren't exactly trilled to have a betrayer amongs them. Bridge and SOPHIE are trying to defent the ex position of the cyborg. _

_'SILENCE CADETS! Are you questioning my orders? Tomorrow at 0500 you have survival training, do not eat. Dismissed.'_

_She turns on her heel and in her wake she leaves chaos and destruction, not that she didn't knew it._

_Not much later Syd cauth up with her. Z doesn't mind, Syd's the one she had always missed. She still wakes up in sweat to Syd's screams in the communicator 'Z,ZZZZZZ! We can't..go back...she...there...my sister..." She still wakes up to the pain in Syd's voice. Z is sorry to point her saber on her neck. Syd understands of course. These 3 years she had grown up too. Now she is the one with medical training, and she certantly doesn't need to be a physic to know that z is not mad at her, but she isn't ready to talk either. They sit in their old room and the silence is comfortable. Syd knows that tonight not many people will sleep. Finally she breaks the silence:_

_'Do you trust him enough?" They both know who she is refering too. Z answers without missing a beat: 'With my life, but then again I trusted Bridge and Jack and Sky with my life, and look what happened- I was the one to be left behind. But if that will assure you he already had the chance to betray me, us, SPD, but he stayed.'_

_Instead of dwelling in the meaning of this statement Syd askes sometihng else, something far more important for her:_

_'You said that you trusted them with your life, didn't you trusted me too?'_

_The question means do you trust me, do you hate me, but they both know._

_'I did trusted you, the difference is that I still do. With my life.'_

_Silence falls upon the room. In the hallway they can hear the screaming of the fired yellow ranger, from the recriation room they hear the fighting of Bridge and Sky. __Sophie passes the room, and if Z didn't know better she would say the cyborg is crying._

_'They are falling apart Syd. You're the last resort. We are the last resort.'_

_Syd smiles grimly and nods. It is a silent agreement, a pact that thay will keep B Squad together._

_A cadet knocks on the doos and silently enters, and after a salute and leaving a bag on the empty bed, leaves. Z turnes around; 'Do you mind me rooming with you again?'_

_Syd smiles. While Z is folding her few belongings, Syd talks on the phone:_

_'I will not leave SPD.'_

_There's hope after all._


End file.
